~ Musings of a newly published writer

Author Archives: Alex James

A semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story exploring a fractured personality through the author’s inspired alter egos, Toxic Nursery is a dark humour parody of the main protagonist’s/Carlie’s deranged journey for inclusion and struggle with accepting herself. Her characters frequently “internalise” into the Mindscape, a protective creation of the protagonist’s imagination. They then “externalise” into the real world using the “physical vessel”. There’s angry Alicia, who is furious at how poorly she and others are treated, feminine Honeysuckle who strives for attention and acceptance, Morgana the kind mother figure and spiritualist, Estella the assertive and confident ego alter, and Serena the studious and serene. Each personality dominates or splits as the situation demands.

I read Toxic Nursery as a personal true account of the author’s past, written figuratively. The writing was captivating, flawless, and poetic; and the events flowed logically. The first hundred pages were exceptionally crafted glimpses into fragmented personality, and the dark humour had me in fits of deranged laughter. The author battles through hell to understand herself, and when some light is shed on her predicament, she must keep it together and succeed without lapsing toward self-loathing and self-destructiveness. It is an effortless read that made me flick through pages rapidly to know what would happen next. I understood and empathised with much of the protagonist’s point-of-view, and respect the author; not only for her struggle, but her bravery in reaching out with Toxic Nursery and by splashing it with hilarious comedy without reverting to sentimentalism.

Criticism: There was an abundance of adjectives, mainly in the opening chapter.

Don’t hesitate with Toxic Nursery, read it! It’s original, fresh, horrific, and inappropriate. The sentences have that rare impact and depth, and it really puts reality into perspective.

The Red Eyed Witch’s abominable curse will be avenged by young misguided Rook, who will take leave of his village, and perhaps his senses, to hunt her; an undertaking that repeatedly appears beyond his capabilities. Rook’s grim memory of past wrongs committed to him has shaped him into a cold icy man with aggressive impulses, especially when he feels threatened.

Servant to a wealthy family, trained to become a swordsman, and learning of the whereabouts of the witch, Rook desperately requires “city skills”. Solmourne itself was an incredible feat of writing; with diverse dark characters lurking everywhere, murky canals, “clean” prostitutes, and just that extra bit of the unusual. A variety of obscene and hilarious sub-characters gave the setting personality and contrast. Superb characterisation; it’s Game of Thrones without raising characters’ hopes. Nobody pretended life was going to be much more than the dung-heap it was.

Criticism: The flashbacks of the witch’s curse were chilling, and though I thoroughly enjoyed Rook’s adventure in Solmourne, I felt as if the original quest was sometimes forgotten or sidelined. It would have been nice to have a few more battles or tests for Rook because his observations or those of other characters seemed more important. Rook grew as a character, mostly reacting rather than acting.

Overall, Blackfeather was an astounding accomplishment. The writing, setting, characterisation, and the plot will blast you into a vivid medieval world that would have been difficult to otherwise imagine. Wow!

The Krakow Klub is a speculative science-fiction conspiracy novel that focuses on the dangers of infinite technology and wealth. The secretive super-rich elitist group, The Krakow Klub, is plotting to finalise its takeover of the United States government. But something unprecedented occurs when the President suddenly announces that he will step down, setting into motion a series of events akin to a political earthquake.

John F Scott has limitless alien technology at his disposal, and decides to use its weaponry and wealth to preserve the US constitution from socialism. He even has his own space-station operated by an unrestrained giant alien (Mylean) computer called Maxx. Unfortunately, Maxx has an unpredictable emotional module, which adds to John’s worries that Maxx will somehow misuse the immense weaponry against “earthlings”. The space-station descriptions reminded me of sci-fi films that use a similar, patient, make-them-familiar-with-surroundings technique. The Krakow Klub improves, a lot, after Chapter Nine (70%) when the Dragon Lady/Number Eleven is introduced and the reader is given a real example of Mylean technology at work on Earth. The chapters afterward contain action/battle scenes that put the battle for the US government into context, and make John panic.

Criticism: At 10%, I didn’t identify with John because I didn’t think there was much to his personality. In a nutshell: he makes plans, dislikes the way the US constitution is being eroded by socialism, and most of all he is lonely and seeks companionship; the only thing he lacks. The sub-character introductions and technological briefs were a lot to absorb and unnecessary to the plot most of the time. At 20% I was still anxious to move beyond what was academic. Circumstances were often thought by some characters then repeated in dialogue later on. Sometimes the speculative predictions would tell me what was going to happen before the scene occurred. This detracted the thunderous surprise from events.

Overall, I found The Krakow Klub to be different from expectations in that its focus was on character and not plot; a lot of new characters were introduced, but John wasn’t properly challenged. There was character building and much humour. I suppose these elements didn’t reach out to me personally, but they may appeal to others. I can imagine the book’s audience being more political-economic readers.

Shadow of a Dead Star is science-fiction cyberpunk, set in a future America called Wonderland, where over-reliance on dark technology fuels society, and sexual and materialistic fantasies are prevalent. Commercial status even determines human rights: the population of Seattle is divided between poverty-ridden Old City, the tumultuous Verge, and the dazzling New City; where lights, advertisements, and simulations overload the senses. I was fully immersed in the opening scenes and the author’s technology of the future was concise and clear. There was no room for ambiguity. After 17%, the writing breaks free from minor rigidity, and then the investigation unfolds with tension.

Federal Agent Walken is the exception, or so he believes; he’s a man of flesh who distrusts the widespread implicit faith in machines. Walken must investigate a case of Princess Dolls, little girls modified into sex toys, a practice that infuriates him. When the Princess Dolls are hijacked, Walken is ordered to investigate dubious sources to trace their location. However, he must work alongside “Civilian” Protection (CivPro) officers: who are unsympathetic and uncooperative because corporate interests masquerade behind most civil and public services. All Walken has is his instincts; and they haven’t let him down yet… I easily sympathised with Walken’s remarkable point-of-view, and liked his tough-guy persona.

Shadow of a Dead Star is a terrifying glimpse into a world where individual independence and initiative has been made obsolete: doors with no handles; administrative workers physically connected to the machines they use; and soldier helmets with view-screens instead of visors. Body “branding” is commonplace. Indeed, faith in machines is absolute to the extent that Walken sees himself alone, apart, and distinct from everybody. For readers worried about the rapid technological invasion in the information age, Shadow of a Dead Star reads like a political statement: cyberpunk realism if you like. Expect a few familiar cyberpunk elements, such as brain-riding (hacking), virtual reality, and an “underground” movement. Many of the main and sub-characters appeared typical of cyberpunk, but with relief the author fast-forwards past all pretence.

The sudden injection of first-person thriller action in the latter half kept me enthralled; it was like a first-person shooter video-game. Don’t expect an average plotline either. Just when you think it’s going to lapse into predictability, it takes a sci-fi/horror twist that is so “out-there” that I was horrified, stunned, and yet fascinated because the conclusion made perfect sense. Shadow of a Dead Star concluded but it didn’t fully end, which is something that will no doubt be cleared up in the sequel. Overall, what an experience! What was life like before this meteor-impact of a novel?

Second Born is a sci-fi/fantasy mix adventure novel that starts with vicious mercenaries hunting Princess Sasha. Dragon-riders are then dispatched by the King and Queen to rescue her. This event underpins growing disaffection between Sasha’s parents (the King and Queen) and the dragon-riders, who the reader will learn much of in the course of the novel.

I was quite taken with the descriptions of planets, dragon lore, and especially the character background scenes. The writing style was unique, and not overly descriptive. I enjoyed reading about the characters so much that it didn’t bother me that the main plot only started to develop at about 50% through. Thereafter, the peril made the characters yet more distinctive and I became completely absorbed with dragon-riders Jet, Vik, Damyil, and their culture. Sasha, Kaa’ln, and Larsom had complementary perspectives that added much. The author was adept at weaving interaction and situations with her characters to construct sub-plots that kept me happily reading.

The inclusion of spaceships and planets, not dragons, initially made me want to read Second Born. There were a few notable sci-fi ideas as I continued to read: mirrors that acted as instant messaging systems, and a system of identity numbers. More could have been made of the sci-fi and technology, but perhaps not without detracting from the storyline and the rich world of dragons.

The major criticisms I have of Second Born are the sheer number of spelling and grammar mistakes, incomplete sentences, and wrong words used. I had to distance myself from the incorrect text, which did affect how immersed I was in it. I had to read through obstructing webs to decipher the author’s message. As a result, these issues need to be resolved. I might have rated Second Born even more highly if the main plot didn’t break off as often into minor sub-plots before returning; sometimes it seemed to have been forgotten about. Also, it would have been nice if the dragons had a more active role than as telepathic reassuring presences, for the dragons lounged about a lot.

Second Born had a profound writing style, author voice, and plotline. EA Stokes is certainly an author I would consider reading again. She has proved she can conjure worlds and characters with ease, and make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience at the same time.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth is the incredible adventure of young student of mineralogy Axel, being compelled to voyage on a perilous undertaking through an (extinct?) Icelandic volcano. Unable to resist the iron will of Uncle Liedenbrock, Axel believes he faces the prospect of a lunatic crusade.

Professor Otto Liedenbrock: one might say he is the stereotypical mad professor, but in many ways he is one of a kind. To his critical nephew Axel, who suffered his living habits, he is an impatient man, egocentric in his thoughts, and prone to bouts of fury. However, I saw many endearing personality traits in him. An eminent scientific savant certainly, who is eccentric, bold, and has wit. I respected the Professor’s drive to achieve great things, for recognition and personal accomplishment. I also pitied the fact that his insular life and single-minded focus, courage, and determination made him blind to Axel’s feelings. To feel fulfilled in life, intellectual challenges and forcing himself to undergo expeditions of discovery, were aspects not touched upon in the novel, but which made me empathise with him.

At 20 per cent through the novel, Axel’s desperate attempts to thwart his Uncle’s surging enthusiasm and ambition, as well as his critical view of him, made for hilarious reading. I could just visualise the Professor racing like a bull down staircases and through doors, on to tackle the next challenge. In many passages, it highlighted how imperfect the Professor was, because he forgot things like what he has cooking. And though the Professor spent hours studying a Runic manuscript, Axel discovered the secret quite by accident. Sometimes I felt Axel was too critical, when he has to point out his Uncle’s flaws and imperfections to us so that we may see the Professor as human or acceptable. I’m not sure whether to blame the author for this.

From 20 to 45 per cent much description does burden the reader’s enjoyment. I urge the reader to persist, for after 45 per cent, the adventure really gets going, and the description puts the environment into perspective with a knowledgeable and scientific setting. Sometimes the science was a bit too much for the unacquainted reader, perhaps also because many of the terms would be academic to a Victorian scientist, but the dictionary helped with the basics. On a more accurate scale I would have rated this novel 9/10.

The personalities were powerfully constructed, and I felt I got to know them almost instinctively, even if they both did manage to surprise me numerous times during the course of the novel. Mostly, this was an effortless and rewarding read, filled with humour, colour, imagination, and wonder! The discoveries were stimulating, and reached beyond the scientific to deliver a panoramic timeless experience.